# What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 6, 2021, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311 "2021-02-06T04:16:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 67
**Author:** ![PatrickLondon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/patricklondon/32/4422_2.png) [@PatrickLondon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatrickLondon)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1321 "2021-06-10T16:21:03Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Imagine a thrilling episode where ER personnel treat the person who’s been showing up on a weekly basis for the past few years with imaginary chest pain or other pseudo-complaints, but has to be taken seriously in the extremely unlikely event that it’s for real this time. Not quite the same, perhaps, but there was an episode in the BBC’s _Casualty_ where an elderly man turned up at the insistence of his wife because he was getting pain in his side and chest while gardening. The couple waited patiently while they tested everything they could, but finally had to be told there didn’t seem to be anything wrong at all. The man put his gardening jacket on and instantly winced in pain again. Said the doctor “I take it that’s your gardening jacket -had it long? Might you have put on weight since you bought it?” And they slunk away in embarrassment… I forget what other storylines were going on in that episode. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1322 "2021-06-11T01:53:24Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > > > …I’ll bet that some nights in the emergency department are boring. > > Imagine a thrilling episode where ER personnel treat the person who’s been showing up on a weekly basis for the past few years with imaginary chest pain or other pseudo-complaints, but has to be taken seriously in the extremely unlikely event that it’s for real this time. > > On the other hand, there are probably few summer Saturday nights in a big city ER attached to a trauma center, where _nothing_ of interest is going on. As someone who has had to sit around in a level 1 trauma center ER babysitting various people over the years none of it is realistic. There is never the sense of panic or dramatic urgency that’s on tv. Even when there is something dramatically urgent happening. Professionals going about their business doesn’t make for dramatic TV. ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1323 "2021-06-11T02:13:18Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > few summer Saturday nights I don’t think it would be called “interesting”, but summer nights is when people get drunk and get into fights. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1324 "2021-06-11T02:22:22Z")
The only time I had to go to a ER it was packed with people too poor to have insurance waiting to see a doctor for a flu, cold or similar malady. No one yelling stat or anything really immediately obviously deadly. No GSW, etc. Note the word “obvious”. I went to another non-county ER instead, and there was like one other person, who appeared to have a badly sprained ankle (had ice on it.) I needed some stitches for a scalp wound. My Doc said his most common stitching was due to people cutting bagels the wrong way, which I thought was humorous. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1325 "2021-06-13T16:39:16Z")
> **What is extremely common in TV or movies but almost never happens in real life?** Hmm… justice visibly clearly and obviously prevailing? > [@DrDeth](#): > > My Doc said his most common stitching was due to people cutting bagels the wrong way, which I thought was humorous. Which I suppose was supplanted by avocados last year, if the web were to be trusted. Which left me going like, really, people? We’ve only had like, what, twelve thousand year to master this technology known as a “knife”. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1326 "2021-06-13T17:11:23Z")
“Cut toward your chum, not your thumb.” That was from Boy Scouts… they started us on knives by teaching us intricate whittling, then we advanced to big swiss army knives, kitchen cleavers, then big lumberjack axes. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2021, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1327 "2021-06-13T22:40:31Z")
> [@digs](#): > > … then big lumberjack axes. After which you were all set for the chainsaw fights in the evening! 😁 ---
**Author:** ![NetTrekker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nettrekker/32/2909_2.png) [@NetTrekker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NetTrekker)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1328 "2021-06-14T13:52:37Z")
Ending a (non-spam) phone call without saying goodbye. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1329 "2021-06-14T13:54:54Z")
I do that all the time when an old girlfriend calls saying she just wants to be friends. 😁 ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1330 "2021-06-14T14:49:56Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > Ending a (non-spam) phone call without saying goodbye. That actually is the norm at my workplace. Drives a lot of us nuts. We’re not sure if the guilty folks picked that up from TV or not. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1331 "2021-06-14T15:11:08Z")
> [@digs](#): > > That was from Boy Scouts… they started us on knives by teaching us intricate whittling, then we advanced to big swiss army knives, kitchen cleavers, then big lumberjack axes. Do you still have your [Totin’ Chip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totin%27_Chip)? ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1332 "2021-06-14T15:22:49Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > Ending a (non-spam) phone call without saying goodbye. You know, people always say this in these kind of threads. But I genuinely can’t think of a show or movie where I’ve ever seen it happen. Does anyone have any examples? Maybe I’ve just never noticed. ---
**Author:** ![Reeses\_Monkey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reeses_monkey/32/2885_2.png) [@Reeses\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeses_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1333 "2021-06-14T15:27:40Z")
Same here. Since so many people complain about the habit, I’ve been actively looking for examples. The only one I’ve found is in an old episode of Columbo where our intrepid detective is trying to catch a few winks and his assistant calls him from another room. The Lt mutters his thanks for the update and fumbles the handset back onto the receiver sans goodbye. That’s all I’ve got. ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1334 "2021-06-14T17:07:14Z")
> [@NetTrekker](#): > > Ending a (non-spam) phone call without saying goodbye. Bingo. I’ve noticed that ever since I was 10 years old. Also, ever notice how much information can be conveyed in a 5 second phone call that never ends with a goodbye? Like this: Phone rings, guy answers. We can’t hear what’s being said by the caller but the guy issues a series of “OK…yeah…uh uh…good” and call ends. Then said guy that received the call tells people in the room what the caller said: a veritable litany of information and events that even an auctioneer couldn’t cram into that 5 second phone call. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1335 "2021-06-14T17:24:57Z")
Even better: In an episode of _ **Highway Patrol** _, Broderick Crawford introduces himself to the mother of a girl who’s been kidnapped. They talk for maybe ten seconds, max. He then goes out to his squad car and issues a bulletin giving a full description of the child, down to what she was wearing when she disappeared. What? Wait a second, I don’t recall the woman saying any of that! How the hell does he know it?!? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![BrickBat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@BrickBat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrickBat)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1336 "2021-06-14T17:45:35Z")
Good one on that **Highway Patrol** observation. Broderick Crawford can really belt out authoritative commands. I like when he’s in the station, then makes a call or a radio call to one of his men with a barrage of gish-gallop commands to acquire information in a short time frame that would be difficult or even impossible to comply with even in today’s “information age”. “_First! Get me a list of every left-handed Presbyterian who owns a Buick built at the Van Nuys assembly plant before April of 1955. Second! I want the arrest records of every police department west of the Mississippi river for parole violators that served in the Korean war above the rank of corporal. Third! I need you to match the tire tread samples with every car dealer, car rental agency, and tire retailer in the state of California. Fourth!.._” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2021, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1337 "2021-06-14T17:49:19Z")
Ah, those ZIV shows. They never wasted time getting to the point. That was real TV! 🕶 **NOTE FOR ANOTHER THREAD:** As I was typing the words “wasted time,” Steve McGarrett told Danny Williams not to “waste time” following other leads! [CUE TWILIGHT ZONE MUSIC] ---
**Author:** ![Summerday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/22d042/32.png) [@Summerday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Summerday)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1338 "2021-06-15T11:45:37Z")
Something I’ve never seen in real life but happens all the time on TV is the 8 or 9 year child who’s wise beyond their years to the point that they’re able to give their mom or dad helpful and cogent dating advice. I’ve also never seen kids who are able to get their divorced/separated parents back together by masterminding a series of instances where they have to interact in some way. In the movies/on TV this is a regular occurrence. Teen girls on TV are always so over the prom and don’t want to go or have to be convinced to go…in my experience most teen girls are excited to get a dress and go to the prom and other school dances. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1339 "2021-06-15T14:02:29Z")
> [@Summerday](#): > > Teen girls on TV are always so over the prom and don’t want to go… Rebel Girl hates the prom… until the cynical nerd she’s been hanging out with (but it’s not a date, those are for conformists) says “I was thinking that we should go to the prom, so we can make fun of all the people who like it. And, umm, maybe we should go… together.” And her heart skips a beat. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2021, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311/1340 "2021-06-15T16:42:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > Do you still have your [Totin’ Chip](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Totin%27_Chip)? You betcha. Had it since 1965. (I also have a bunch of my other BSA stuff- Merit Badge sash, etc) ETA: “Totin’ Chip” of course being a pun on “Totemanship.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=66) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-extremely-common-in-tv-or-movies-but-almost-never-happens-in-real-life/932311.md?page=68)